Ceiling suspension system

ABSTRACT

A ceiling suspension system comprising a plurality of stringers having panel receiving and holding slots. The stringers are supported at opposite ends by wall carried trim brackets. Closure strips may be used to close the gap between adjoining panels. Panels having in-turned edges are seated in the stringer slots. Each trim bracket has a resilient tongue in one wall thereof for receiving and holding an edge trim member. In addition, the trim brackets restrict the lateral movement of the stringer and aid in the alignment of the panels.

United States Patent 1 July 25, 1972 Englund et a1.

[54] CEILING SUSPENSION SYSTEM [72] Inventors: James A. England,Middlesex; Stephen Popek, Roselle, both of NJ.

[73] Assignee: Alcan Alumlnum Corporation, Cleveland,

Ohio

[22] Filed: Sept. 9, I970 [21] Appl. No.2 70,649

[52] U.S. Cl. ..52/484, 52/494 [51] Int. Cl. ..E04b 5/56, 1504f 13/12(58] Field oISearelt ..52/78, 74, 498, 484, 222, 278, 52/494 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,055,469 9/1962 Byssing ..52/4843,302,355 2/1967 Chinneck ..52/484 2,647,290 8/1953 Nachman ..52/783,035,672 5/1962 Tuten .....52/484 3,206,898 9/1965 Schroyer .....52/2223,228,159 1/1966 Vecchiarelli ..52/222 3,295,284 1/1967 Tschlesche..52/484 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 635,717 2/1962 Canada ..52/4841,065,710 3/1967 Great Britain... ....52/222 1,141,997 6/1969 GreatBritain ..52/222 Primary Examiner-Henry C. Sutherland Attorney-Robert S.Dunham, P. E. Henninger, Lester W. Clark, Gerald W. Griffin, Thomas F.Moran, Howard J. Churchill, R. Bradlee Boal. Christopher C. Dunham,Robert Scobcy and Henry T. Burke 51 ABSTRACT 2 Claims, 8 Drawing FiguresPatented July 25, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 AFLI a POPEK RN VENTOR$ JA M55 45/1/64 04/0 Patented July 25, 1972 3 Shuts-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JAMES A.E/v6LU/UD BY .5 7' HEN POPK ,GTTOP/VEY Patented July 25, 1972 ssheets-sheet s INVENTORS JAMES A E/VGZUA/D $75 EA/ HOP-PK ORA/E 5CEILING SUSPENSION SYSTEM This invention relates to a ceiling suspensionsystem which will hold a ceiling in place without the slightest dangerof collapse, and yet one which is easily installed with a minimum ofeffort and without resorting to tools of special design.

Suspended ceilings are meeting with increasingly greater favor witharchitects, builders and tenants and it is therefore a primary purposeof the invention to provide a suspended ceiling design which can beeasily and inexpensively installed by workmen of no more than ordinaryskill.

The details and simplicity of the elements comprising the ceiling willbecome apparent from an examination of the drawings forming a parthereof and others will be even more clearly evident as the descriptionthereof is read in conjunction with the drawings to which thedescription refers.

In said drawings like reference numerals indicate like parts. and:

FIG. I is a fragmentary elevational view of a ceiling section lookingfrom below;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view in perspective of the principal elementscomprising the ceiling structure;

FIG. 4a is a somewhat enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a panelelement and a closure strip;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a stringer structure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stringer connecting splice.

The principal elements of the ceiling structure are the supportingstringers 10, the trim brackets 12, the panels l4 and the edge trimmembers 16.

It is intended that a plurality of stringers 10 be fixed to a wall inparallel relationship at equally spaced points in respect to each other.Thus in FIGS. 2 and 3 it is shown that trim brackets 12 are suitablyattached to opposite walls of an enclosure such as a room. These aresuitably attached to a wall by means of screws extending through screwholes 18 in a supporting leg 20 of the trim bracket. Each trim brackethas a horizontal flange 22 extending inwardly at a right angle to a wallsurface 24 when they are properly installed.

The supporting leg 20 of the trim bracket has a tongue 26 which isformed in the lower portion of the supporting leg. The tongue isresilient and inwardly biased. This tongue is adapted to receive andsecure an upstanding wall 28 of the edge trim member 16. The horizontalflange 22 of the trim bracket has a plurality of elongated apertures 30therein. These apertures provide means for attaching the stringers 10 tothe trim brackets as by means of screws 32 extending through one of theapertures 30 and into and through a hole 34 in the stringer.

The configuration of the stringer I0 is best shown in the perspectiveview thereof in FIG. 5. Each stringer has a base surface 36 from whichextends oppositely disposed downwardly depending diverging side walls 38and 40 which project away from the base substantially the same distanceand at the same angle. The side wall 38 has an outwardly extendinghorizontal shoulder 42 while side wall 40 has a similar shoulder 44. Therespective shoulders have downwardly extending flanges 28 and 48. Eachflange has formed therein a plurality of elongated slots which in partextend through the free edge of the flanges. These slots extend alongthe length of the flanges and provide spaced mounting projections 54 and56. The ends of each mounting projection are rounded and have anundercut 52 formed by an inset extension 52A of the slots 50. This formsat each end of the mounting projections an inwardly extending recessadapted to receive the intumed edges of a ceiling panel.

When the ceiling panels have been placed in position and particularly ifthey are somewhat spaced from each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, aclosure strip 60 may be used to span and close the gap between adjacentpanels. Such structure affords the opportunity to produce particularlypleasing visual results in the ceiling structure since resort may be hadto the use of panels of one color and a closure strip of a second color.These closure strips may also provide a weather seal for the plenum areaon outside installations. Closure strips 60, have been designed to fitwithin the notches 50. of the stringer 10 in such a way that they willbe retained within these notches without becoming dislodged during theassembly of the panels [4 and the stringers 10. These closure strips 60.are allowed free lateral movement within the confines of the stringernotches 50, thereby allowing the inturned edges 58, of the panels [4 togrip the fingers 54 and $6 of the stringer slot without interference andallowing the panels 14 to position themselves in proper relation withthe stringer 20 without undue pressure during assembly.

After the panels have been placed in position as described, the edgetrim members [6 are put into position by sliding their upstanding walls28 behind the tongues 26 of the trim brackets 12. It is contemplatedthat the edge trim members will extend about the entire perimeter of theceiling. The edge trim members include a horizontal face wall 29 whichmay have a surface ornamentation corresponding to that of the face ofthe panels, or it may be in contrast thereto. In case of the edge trimmembers even another color may be resorted to for the production of apleasing architectural appearance.

It has been described how the trim brackets 12 are used to support thestringers 10. However, additional suspending means may be employed,particularly if the stringers are of substantial length. In th'm lattercase, suspending wires 62 may be attached at spaced points to thestringers by passing an end of the wire through holes 64 just below thebase surface of the stringer and attaching the other end of such wiresto an overhead structure.

Finally the shoulders 42 and 44 formed in the stringer structure may beutilized to aid in the support of certain types of lighting fixturesand/or air diffusers and/or accoustical or insulating material 66.

It may be necessary to use two or more longitudinally aligned stringersfor a ceiling structure which is in excess of a convenient standardstringer length. In the latter case a number of stringers may besecurely interconnected by use of a stringer connecting brace 68 such asthat shown in FIG. 7. This brace has a spine 70 and outwardly divergingside walls 72 and 74 which complement the inner surfaces of the stringerspine 36 and its side walls 38 and 40, respectively. In order to jointwo stringers in end to end relation, ends of the stringers are abutted,the stringers connecting brace is inserted into the stringer as shown bythe dash line in FIG. 5, and screws or rivets 76 are inserted throughscrew holes 78 near the stringer ends and through corresponding holes 80in the stringer connecting brace.

The ceiling structure is well adapted to a structural modification whichmay be desirable. In FIG. 2 the ceiling panels I4 are just wide enoughto extend between adjacent notches 50. Instead of so limiting the widthof the panels, they may be made wider so as to extend between alternatenotches instead of between adjacent notches, for example.

The details of the ceiling structure have been set forth as oneexemplary form of the invention. It is, however, contemplated thatvarious features of construction may assume different forms withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

We claim:

I. A ceiling suspension system for use in adjacent relation to a wall,comprising a. a plurality of elongated panels having inturnedlongitudinal edges;

b. a plurality of elongated stringers each having an elongated upperbase surface and a pair of side walls depending therefrom, each sidewall having a plurality of downwardly opening slots with edgesengageable by said intumed edges of said panels for securing said panelsto said stringers;

c. said stringers extending horizontally in spaced parallel relationwith the slots of adjacent stringers aligned; and

d. said panels extending horizontally transversely of and beneath saidstringers with said inturned edges directed upwardly and engaging saidstringer slot edges thereby securing said panels to said stringers asaforesaid to constitute a ceiling assembly;

. L-shaped edge trim members extending horizontally a plurality ofbrackets disposed in horizontally spaced relation to each other alongthe periphery of the ceiling asembly. each of said brackets comprisingi. a horizontal leg overlying a portion of the upper base surface of oneof said stringers;

ii. a vertical leg formed integrally with and projecting downwardly fromsaid horizontal leg, said vertical leg being in fixed attachment to awall in flush relation thereto for supporting said one stringer on thewall; and iii. a resilient tongue formed integrally with said verticalleg and having a depending free end receiving and frictionally grippingthe vertical flange of said edge trim member to support said edge trimmember; and g. means fixedly attaching said horizontal leg to said uppersurface of said stringer for supporting said stringer by said bracket.

2. A system as defined in claim I, wherein the horizontal leg of each ofsaid trim brackets has a plurality of slots for receiving screws, saidslots extending outwardly from said vertical leg in spaced parallelrelation to each other for attachment of said bracket to said basesurface by at least two screws when said bracket is oriented in eitherof two perpendicular directions relative to the long dimension of saidbase surface.

1. A ceiling suspension system for use in adjacent relation to a wall,comprising a. a plurality of elongated panels having inturnedlongitudinal edges; b. a plurality of elongated stringers each having anelongated upper base surface and a pair of side walls dependingtherefrom, each side wall having a plurality of downwardly opening slotswith edges engageable by said inturned edges of said panels for securingsaid panels to said stringers; c. said stringers extending horizontallyin spaced parallel relation with the slots of adjacent stringersaligned; and d. said panels extending horizontally transversely of andbeneath said stringers with said inturned edges directed upwardly andengaging said stringer slot edges thereby securing said panels to saidstringers as aforesaid to constitute a ceiling assembly; e. L-shapededge trim members extending horizontally along the periphery of theceiling assembly, each said edge trim member having a vertical flangedisposed parallel to a wall and a horizontal flange formed integrallywith and projecting from the lower margin of the vertical flange inunderlying relation to the ceiling assembly for concealing the peripheryof the ceiling assembly; f. a plurality of brackets disposed inhorizontally spaced relation to each other along the periphery of theceiling assembly, each of said brackets comprising i. a horizontal legoverlying a portion of the upper base surface of one of said stringers;ii. a vertical leg formed integrally with and projecting downwardly fromsaid horizontal leg, said vertical leg being in fixed attachment to awall in flush relation thereto for supporting said one stringer on thewall; and iii. a resilient tongue formed integrally with said verticalleg and having a depending free end receiving and frictionally grippingthe vertical flange of said edge trim member to support said edge trimmember; and g. means fixedly attaching said horizontal leg to said uppersurface of said stringer for supporting said stringer by said bracket.2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the horizontal leg of each ofsaid trim brackets has a plurality of slots for receiving screws, saidslots extending outwardly from said vertical leg in spaced parallelrelation to each other for attachment of said bracket to said basesurface by at least two screws when said bracket is oriented in eitherof two perpendicular directions relative to the long dimension of saidbase surface.